27.7.10

The Chinese Banquet: Portraits

After San Diego, my dear sister suggested we have life-size cardboard cut-outs of ourselves so that anyone can get a picture with the bride and groom. I kid you not, there are some group portraits where I am right in the middle of the picture with the boy and I don't know anyone.

They were mostly our parents' friends, and since this was their party, I had to oblige.

But I did manage to get some shots with a few people I actually know. Here are a few of them.

[This is my Dad. He likes dorky neck ties, Home Depot, prime rib, and American Idol.]


[This is my grandmother. She likes sewing, knitting, gardening, and Chinese television dramas.]

[These are my sisters. The both live in the SF Bay Area. The boy says that I have an entirely different laugh when I'm with them than I do with anyone else. What can I say? They're my best friends and are the few people who understand my impersonations of our mother.]

[This is my cousin. I don't know if I have ever shared the story of how we met, but we actually met at college. In the same dorm! We're distantly related, but our parents saw each other on move-in day, recognized each other, and we've been friends ever since. She is also getting married (hooray!) and you can follow her journey on her blog.]


[And this is us. I felt it necessary to take a few shots like this to keep it real. The boy is smiling because he smiles a lot. He told me yesterday that one of his co-workers always asks "Why are you so happy?" because he smiles so much.]

That concludes my banquet recap! For anyone planning a Chinese banquet in Sacramento, we had ours at Rice Bowl Restaurant and we received a lot of compliments on the food. They also let us bring our own alcohol, so we had a "mini bar" for anyone that wanted to get a little bit tipsy. But I would advise any brides/grooms/anyone to get dressed elsewhere because that changing room is window-less and smells like roast duck.

As a final note, I might be complaining a lot, and I do make fun of my mother, and enjoy arguing with elders when I find something absolutely ridiculous...and rolling my eyes...and being the most American of Chinese daughters...but I am really glad that we had the banquet. Not only was it important for both of our parents, but it was an important tradition for many of our relatives and also a celebration of our family. Growing up, the Chinese Banquet was THE wedding celebration, and I had never experienced anything else until I got older. I'm glad we could continue the tradition.

[For more banquet craziness, I recommend watching Ang Lee's The Wedding Banquet--luckily our experience was less dramatic.]

[All photos, except for the one she is in, taken by my sister]
Moo

7 comments:

little luxury list said...

I love the picture of you and the boy! Our rehearsal dinner was a mini banquet so we're glad we honored that tradition too (10 courses, finger foods, and fun!)

The Professional Bridesmaid said...

Adorable. I love how you listed your dad's and grandmother's likes;)

Bella said...

Gosh your Grandmother is beautiful - you've got good genes!
And I love your little caveat at the end - I think we knew all along that any (not very bad) complaints are meant with a deep daughterly affection really.
Congratulations again on marrying such a happy man!!

Born to be Mrs. Beever said...

What great photos and insight into your friends and family. I love the picture of you and the boy as well...it's phenomenal! :)

honey my heart said...

your family is so cute. i love that you shared these photos! and hooray for sisters :)

joyce said...

Love the pictures!!! And I love love love your cheongsam!! It looks beautiful on you!

We just got back our dinner photos from back home too and you know what, I'm really glad that we did it too. Everybody had a great time and you can tell that it meant a lot to the family that we did it. :)

buhdoop said...

Your grandmother is so adorable

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